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Definition of "rat-a-tat" [rat-a-tat]

  • A rattling sound or effect, as from the beating of a drum. (noun)

The Century Dictionary (Public Domain)

Use "rat-a-tat" in a sentence
  • "Adapted in 1931 from a Broadway farce by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, this rat-a-tat yarn established the newspaper reporter as a rough-and-ready huckster, cousin to the Chicago bootlegger, always happy to break the rules to get the scoop."
  • "Neither did his multi-nozzle flame thrower, even though he'd rigged it to rat-a-tat a catchy beat."
  • "His delivery manages to be both distracted and pithy rather than rat-a-tat."
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